Purchasing Vocational Education and Training

Strengthening the role of TAFE in VCE VET

The Department of Education (DE) has identified 14 certificates from the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Vocational Education and Training (VET) program for Technical and Further Education (TAFEs) to prioritise for secondary students.

By focusing TAFEs resources where they are needed most, this initiative aims to expand availability to certificates linked to growing demand, connected to areas of workforce shortage and that are challenging for most schools to deliver themselves.

The 14 certificates are:

• Certificate II in Agriculture
• Certificate II in Animal Care
• Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation
• Certificate II in Building and Construction Pre-apprenticeship (Bricklaying and Carpentry Streams)
• Certificate II in Cookery
• Certificate II in Electrotechnology (Career Start)
• Certificate II in Electrotechnology Studies (Pre-vocational)
• Certificate II in Engineering Studies
• Certificate II in Plumbing (Pre-Apprenticeship)
• Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance
• Certificate III in Beauty Services
• Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
• Certificate III in Health Services Assistance
• Certificate III in Information Technology.

Individual TAFEs are not expected to offer all 14 courses. The expectation is that TAFEs will work collaboratively with each other and with school clusters to lift provision in order to meet the majority of unmet demand in each geographic area.

Additional exceptions and clarifications include:

• Certificate II in Agriculture – only TAFEs in regions with a strong agricultural focus and where there is evidence of workforce shortages and unmet student demand
• Electrotechnology – TAFEs are only expected to provide access to one of the 2 electrotechnology certificates in the list
• Health – TAFEs are only expected to provide access to one of the two health certificates in the list.

Standardised TAFE courses

DE has worked with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), the Victorian Skills Authority (VSA), and the TAFE Network to develop standardised versions of these certificates that each TAFE will begin to implement based on local readiness.

The aim is that by 2030 the standardised versions of these 14 certificates will be the default versions offered by all TAFEs, with some exceptions based on individual TAFEs’ local needs.

This work has defined units of competency for each certificate based on industry and VCAA advice. This will mean students studying at TAFE get the same high-quality course design and course materials regardless of where they live. It also means they will experience far more seamless transitions if they move schools and need to change TAFE providers part way through completing one of these certificates.

Of the 14 standardised certificates, 5 allow for scored sequences, meaning that students can receive a study score that contributes to their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) as part of their 4 primary subjects. It is expected that by 2030, students who enrol in one of these 5 certificates with any TAFE will be provided the option to complete a scored sequence. For more information on scored VET, refer to the VCE VET programs scored assessment webpage.

For the full list of units of competency within the standardised versions of these certificates, refer to the Resources tab.

The role of other provider types in delivery of the 14 certificates

By focusing TAFE’s resources on certificates that are difficult to deliver, the department aims to reduce pressure on schools to try to deliver these themselves when they don’t have the required expertise and infrastructure.

However, many other provider types and delivery models are capable of providing high-quality versions of these certificates. Schools with access to industry-standard infrastructure and trainers (such as SBRTOs, Trade Training Centres or specialist private RTOs) remain essential to the delivery of these certificates, particularly where TAFEs cannot meet student demand.

Expectations of schools

Schools are strongly encouraged to:

• encourage students to preference TAFE where places are available
• work in VET clusters and with DE to strengthen collaboration with TAFEs
• help identify and address barriers to expanding TAFE provision.

This is critical to support TAFEs to plan and expand provision effectively.